The LightningStruck Tower
by Astral S. Kepeire
Summary: After chaos, Hyrule begins to rebuild. Peace cannot last forever, however. When people begin dying in their sleep, a hero must rise to defeat a tyrant who threatens the safety of two realms. Unfortunately, the hero is dead.
1. Prologue: Misery

Prologue: Misery

* * *

The great central hall gleamed with a sense of regality in the diffused moonlight that filtered through the clouds and shone through the glass dome above. The walls, the floor, and parts of the ceiling were all golden, etched with designs and inlaid with stained glass portraits in red and purple and green and blue. Though the area of the room was large, the wingspan of the colossal moth spread out on the floor so surpassed it that the tips bent up against the walls slightly.

The insect lay limp on the ground, having lost the energy or motivation to try and fight back against the four large black spikes that pinned its wings down. The weight of its massive antenna caused them to bend over towards the ground as he no longer tried to lift them.

"Come on now, will you ever stay dead?" the calm, otherwise humble-sounding voice echoed throughout the quiet hall and was the only indication that the creature was not part of some large insect display board, already dead. Though the voice's owner could have passed for Hylian in shape and size, he sat quite comfortably between the two antennae.

The great beast gave a long, slow exhale. It was strenuous to do so. A hand, gray as ash in skin color, grasped one of the feelers that its owner was straddled between. The insect shrieked involuntarily as the Nightmare bent it back towards him, knowing full well how sensitive it was. He laughed darkly, there was nothing he could do about it.

He released the antenna. It sprung back into place, a little bent. Many moments passed, and then the beast spoke,

"Why… do you do this? You cannot kill me… you will never kill me."

"Eventually you have to. Maybe not in this millennium, and perhaps not even at our hands, but you cannot move, and one day we will win"

"Then why torture me?"

"You already know the answer to that. We told you when this all began."

"Much has changed… since then."

"Nothing has changed until you are gone for good."

The beast wheezed. "You lie to yourself. You have changed this realm. Now all it is just a realm of misery"

"In that case, nothing has changed a bit."

"All you care for is misery… you cannot find joy in anything else. You exist off of others' negative feelings. If that's no indication of how pathetic you are… nothing is."

At those last words, both of them fell silent. The grin did not move from the king's face, however, "Whoever said we can't? Perhaps we just don't care."

"Prove me wrong."

The dark figure stood, then, lightly balanced on his captive's head. "Considering how little time you probably have left, it would be our honor to do so." He lightly brushed the back of his hand across the many sensitive feeling hairs along the antenna. The entire head lurched back in response. With a faded giggle, he vanished, leaving the exile to perish at the end of immortality.


	2. Chapter 1: The Nightmare Plague

Chapter 1: The Nightmare Plague

Lon Lon ranch was dark with night but not gloomy. Two youths gazed up at the glittering stars, which beckoned down to them a welcoming, almost motherly light. A light breeze fluttered the dirty blonde and bright auburn hair of the teenage boy and girl respectively. The silence was broken by the girl humming. It was a familiar tune, one they both knew.

"Hmm-hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm hmm hmmmmm hmm" she began softly. The boy took out a pale brown potato-shaped ocarina and played the corresponding notes. The girl smiled warmly at him, and with increased confidence opened her mouth and began to sing.

_Do you think_

_That we could_

_Dream for etern'ty_

_Do you think_

_If we could_

_What we'd be?_

_We would ne-ver see_

_The beauties of the waking world_

_And ev-en-tu-ally_

_All dreams must end_

_You see_

It was the Song of Awakening. The two of them had composed it when they were younger. Each note, each syllable, every beat and every word, came naturally to them. Despite the title, they often played it at night. Marin had once admitted that it was the reassurance that she had to wake up that helped her sleep at night.

"I have these dreams where I can't wake up" She relayed, "it's those dreams where you know you're dreaming, and I'm always trapped in—in a giant cage or lost in a forest, and even though I always wake up it feels like I can't"

Link reached out a hand to her in consolation, "No one sleeps forever. Well, unless they're dead" He added bluntly, "But all dreams must end. No one sleeps endlessly"

"They're _SLEEPING ENDLESSLY_" The hysteric doctor paid no attention to the foot of the blonde adolescent he'd trampled on as he passed the two at the market the next day. Link and Marin finished delivering goods to the Marketplace vendor and then hurried down the alley that the other had fled through.

"I don't understand it either, Sir. What did she eat that night?"

"Are you blaming me for this? I made her dinner—it was out anniversary—do you think I poisoned her?" A harsh masculine voice roared back at the frail specialist, who shrunk back in fear.

"N-no, of course not. But you realize I have many more patients, and I would like to find a common cause. This simply isn't natural, it's enough to puzzle any doctor, not to mention threatening to society" It was then that the elderly doctor noticed the two kids at the door, which had been left slightly open. "Do you have an issue? I'm rather busy right now but come in if you must stand out there waiting."

The two of them hesitated, but then Marin led the way in and pulled Link in by his beige undershirt. She used to guide him around by his green vest… until one of the buttons popped off from the unexpected strain.

Entering the room, they immediately noticed the two beds set out for the current patients. A young woman and a little boy, fast asleep.

Meanwhile, the doctor had continued to try to reason with the woman's husband, "I have fifteen other patients with these exact same symptoms. Everything being normal until they fall asleep, and then they stay asleep. The first of them arrived a week ago and he's still not awake. I understand your concern for her, but until I understand what epidemic is keeping them asleep, I can't wake them."

"Nonsense!" The man thundered, "There must be something you can do. Use some herbs or something to wake them up. I think this is all a hoax"

"A hoax, keeping a young man asleep for a week without dying? He's been a week without food or water. I know no sorcery that could do that—or least no magic sleep spell."

"Obviously there's some magic here. Do you at least know some magic awakening spell?"

Link gently nudged Marin. He looked up into a face wrinkled by concern and shaken by familiarity, and no longer felt the need to ask 'Are you hearing all of this?'

Instead, he asked, "Do you think you could try… our song?"

"It's just a song…" Marin knelt down, unseen by the doctor who was still arguing, and softly began to sing. When she got to the end of the first verse, the young woman had not stirred.

"Singing isn't going to wake her up, blasted woman" The old man appeared very shaken by the husband's words and wasn't even looking at Marin, "If you're not here for medical treatment or to see a patient, get out! Out! I can't take more of this! Seventeen patients! And they seem to come in more everyday!"

Link and Marin took the cue and quickly evacuated the doctor's office, a small but relatively new hospital built on the cleared ruins of the old Market.

"Fifteen people that can't wake up" seemed to be a common topic for the gossip in the town. Or, soon, 'Seventeen'.

"I'm starting to be afraid to go to sleep. What if I never wake up?"

"My sister's one of the victims. Nothing changed, except that she was an insomniac. We thought she was catching up on her sleep, but that was five days ago"

"I wonder if they're dreaming all this time. Or having a nightmare. Oh imagine! Having a nightmare for a week without end!"

"Maybe it's a nightmare of the body, keeping them asleep"

"A real nightmare, then? A nightmare disease?"

"Oh, more like nightmare plague! No one's safe!"

That was how the citizens of the town began to panic. Link and Marin took part of none of the conversations, but listened with interest. "We should get home. Tell my father, I don't think he's heard of any of this, and…" She trailed off, but Link knew what she was thinking.

The sun had set. It was around now that the two of them would begin their duet, but they both had more important things on their mind. The "Nightmare Plague" as it was dubbed, scared both of them.

Finally they arrived at the ranch. Link lived alone in nearby Kakariko, able to secure a part-time job delivering goods around Hyrule, but often helped Marin on his days off. She could take milk to market by herself just fine, but enjoyed his assistance and company. The night had deepened, the black sky blanketed by dismal gray clouds.

Marin took Link's hands, "Let's pray that this doesn't get to us, alright? Our song may not have woken her, but we can sing it and hope to ward off this plague" She turned, her hands starting to slip off his, and she smiled.

Then, a single crack of thunder echoed around them and the ground around them became engulfed in a black shadowy substance. Marin let out a shocked scream and clung to Link as the shadows wrapped themselves like bandages around her bare legs. The dark entities worked quickly, engulfing not only Marin but Link as well in a matter of moments. The light and sound of Hyrule field drained from their senses as the world they knew melted away.


	3. Chapter 2 currently untitled

Chapter 2: [currently untitled]

When the shadows faded, Marin and Link were on a dark gray concrete surface, outside. A village square lay around them, followed by rings of small, featureless buildings in dull colors. Dimly colored people went about their normal business, although a few turned and muttered to themselves, looking and pointing at them.

"Are those… dreamers?"

"No way, that's impossible"

"Not impossible, something must be terribly wrong"

"Maybe this is why the bell's stopped ringing…"

There was something odd about these villagers. Link noticed that it was like a blanket of lint had fallen over them. They had hair and clothes colors that looked like they had once been incredibly bright—fuchsia, lime, electric blue—and were now reduced to a dull purple, forest green, and navy. They didn't just look like dull colors; they looked like bright colors that had been covered in dust. The same general appearance was present over the entire town.

Tentatively, Marin took a step forward, looking around in confusion. "Link… where are we?" A stone archway over the edge of the square read _Nocte Square._ That hardly helped, as neither of them had heard of such a place.

Link quickly followed his friend, just as confused as she was. Just as they passed under the arch, however, a group of soldiers in black armor approached them. One of them held out a spear towards first Link, then Marin. "Hold it. I thought there was only supposed to be one of them."

"That's what I thought too, but you know how… uncertain he can be. Perhaps he changed his mind at the last minute."

"No, he told us afterwards that there should be one." Then the guard brandished his spear in front of both of them, "You! Which one of you is supposed to be here, and why are there two of you?"

"I—uhm—I don't know" Link managed to stutter out. He felt queasy and weak in front of the soldiers. He'd never had to do anything involving fighting before, and that spear looked rather deadly.

The two head soldiers exchanged glances. "Might as well take them both," one said, "We don't know which one he was talking about."

"Yes, I suppose so." The second guard brandished his spear again, "You two, come with us!"

Terrified, they complied, and the group of soldiers led them through the town. At the edge was a sign that read "_Nocte City_". Outside the city limits was a small fountain in the middle of a grayish grassy area. A girl dressed in a blue dress and an elegant sheer headwrap sat at the edge of the water, gazing into it and paying no attention to the troupe.

They stopped at a tall, black, iron gate. Only then did the castaways see it—a giant narrow castle that in design could have passed for a single tower. It was made of completely black brick and reached towards the sky. The top was blurry in the distance, hard to see. At first glance it looked like it never ended.

"Welcome to the Nightmare Tower" One of the guards announced, "Follow us"

And so they did. They followed the guards up the many, many floors. Again, they seemed like they'd never end. Finally they came to a huge silver-framed set of double doors. Two vassals held them open and beckoned the two inside. As Link passed the, he noticed they shared that similar colorless dull look that the city had.

"…your highnesses" One guard spoke with uncertainty. He seemed the most nervous of the guards, the rest of which seemed indifferent to the whole ordeal. He had dusty blue hair.

Link looked down the room, which was a large throne room, marble tile, black obsidian pillars with silver accents. A long, silver rug with green edging ran down the room and led straight to a jet black, tall throne. Seated across the chair's armrests was a man that looked like he was in his mid-twenties. He had medium length hair darker than the night, which was tucked carelessly out of the way of the simple silver crown he wore. His skin appeared an inhylian gray, and the rest of him was cloaked in robes equally as black as his hair. Unlike everyone else they'd seen, this near monochrome didn't feel like a dulling of bright colors. It was as if the gloomy black and gray radiated their own brightness, a contrast of pure black next to all the dusty gray people. The entire throne room radiated that same aura.

The young man turned to sit properly in the throne, though he looked restless, like an overactive child that had been told to sit down. "There are… two of them" He stated, in a voice quite menacing and deep, as though the gravity of the mistake would ensure the death of one or more of the deliverers. The guards looked visibly shaken, and the blue-haired guard mostly stifled a whisper.

The regal figure stepped up to the two, "Now why would there be two of you? We only summoned the girl… what are you doing here?" He pointed at Link. "What's your name, and what are you doing here with the singer?"

"I have a name, you know" She piped up.

"Yes, yes, we know. Marin" He kept that menacing tone of voice up until that point, when he suddenly clapped his hands together and laughed a dark laugh. "An extra! Dear—" He aimed this at Link, "Consider yourself lucky, one of only two dreamers to consciously enter the dream realm for millennia!" His tone was brighter, excitable, hyper, even. "What is your name?"

"My name? I'm Link. Named after the fabled Hero of Time" Link answered, shaking.

"Aaaah, iyes/i …. The fabled hero of time…" His voice grew darker, "We suppose you look up to him? Even though he perished at the hands of Ganondorf? You take pride in being named after a failure?" He laughed, "iPathetic/i. And technically…" He continued, "You're not even related to the hero of time. Which means you can't even claim the heroic spirit that got him as far as he did. "BUT…" he walked around the two, "That doesn't matter. All that matters is that we have the singer now" A dark, victorious laugh. "You are merely a pathetic extra, brought here by a miscalculation of the radius necessary to summon her." He flicked his fingers towards Marin, "Guards, take her to the room we've prepared. We'll take care of the extra."

The guards did as instructed, Marin squirming in their grasp but utterly failing. Once they'd left, Link had the courage to speak again. "Well?"

"Well iwhat?/i"

"Where's the others?"

"Others?"

"you said that 'we will take care of the extra'"… where are the others?

Another laugh, and he vanished and appeared right in front of Link, so that their noses almost touched, "Oh, there are no others. Just us" To make a point, he pointed at himself. "We are the Nightmares that rule this realm, the Dream Realm."

"The Nightmares. But there's only one of you…"

"Truly, you're not descended from the hero of time. He at least possessed some wisdom. But that doesn't matter." Suddenly, his right arm transformed into an obsidian blade, slightly curved, that was about 1 and a half times its original length.

Link gasped and stepped back, "You've got to be kidding me, you don't have to kill me, right? I'm not important enough to be killed, can't you just send me back the way you brought me here?"

The Nightmare sighed, "We could. But that kind of transfer takes quite a bit of energy. And why waste it on a clean journey when the same effect will come from killing you?" He paused, "We forgot to properly introduce ourselves. Though we have many identities, our primary one is named 'Dethl.' Not that it'll matter in a moment.

"Wha—" Link didn't have time to scream before the black blade struck his throat, impaling it. His dead body slumped to the floor.

Link woke with a start to find himself back near Lon Lon ranch. Gingerly he touched his neck. There was an unbearable pain there, but no wound. With effort, he stood, and comprehended what had happened. Marin was gone, in some other world, and he had died yet… not. Worried, he ran back to Castle Town.

Nothing seemed to have changed. The hysterical doctor still could do nothing about his patients, the people still awake were still terrified to go to sleep—or at least some were. Others were still to stubborn to believe the pandemic.

Then suddenly, a loud moan followed by sobbing came from the hospital. Link rushed in to find a small family grouped around one of the patients.

"How could this happen?"

"To survive n-nearly a week without any f-food or w-w-water, as-asleep but still al-alive… and then s-suddenly… "

"I couldn't identify the cause, ma'am, and I'm truly sorry for the loss"

The woman burst out sobbing again. Link tried to get a better look at the teen-aged girl laying on the bed, but the doctor shooed him away, "what do you think you're doing! This is a private matter, and these people are grieving! Get out before I call the guards" Link quickly complied.

Once outside, he sat down on a low brick wall near the hospital. Marin was… gone. People in this world were dying. He sighed and stared at the ground.

"Wish you could do something, don't you?" his thoughts were interrupted by a male voice in front of him. His eyes snapped up at a tall man, aged in his mid-twenties. He had strikingly long silver hair tied behind him in a ponytail. He certainly looked out of place with bright clothes—a white and bright teal longsleeved shirt with fuchsia trim, white shorts, black leggings, green shoes, and all tied together with a green cape clasped with a broach that looked oddly like it resembled some kind of bird egg.

"Who are you?" He stood up, still failing at least a foot shorter than the stranger.

"You may call me Levi"

"But… who are you? I mean… how come I've never seen you before?

"Follow me." Levi instructed, and began to walk towards the south gate, "I'm the one that's going to help you get your dreamer friend back"


End file.
